


Cattle Rustlers

by friskaz



Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-13
Updated: 2009-11-13
Packaged: 2017-10-02 15:25:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friskaz/pseuds/friskaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some cattle rustlers and some violence.  Nothing that's not in the show, but.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cattle Rustlers

"Okay, DiNozzo, what have you got for me?" Gibbs asked, striding up the street to where DiNozzo and McGee were waiting for him outside the general store.

"Kate says no one unusual has come into the saloon," DiNozzo said. "She's keeping an eye out and will let us know if anything unusual happens."

"The bottle of whiskey had to come from her, though. No one else has professional bottles like that," McGee said.

"Right, so it's got to be a regular, someone who lives here and goes in to drink pretty often," DiNozzo said.

"Why would a local be rustling cattle?" McGee asked.

"Good question," Gibbs said. "Why don't you go find out." He stalked off towards his horse.

"Where are you going?" DiNozzo called after him.

"I'll meet you back here in a couple hours," Gibbs called back, cheerfully ignoring the question as he galloped off down the street.

"So basically we have nothing," McGee said. "Aside from it's someone local, but all the local ranchers have had cows stolen."

"If we don't figure it out soon there's gonna be a lynching party tonight," DiNozzo said. "And they're going to grab the first person they see."

"That doesn't give us much time," McGee said.

"No, idiot, of course it doesn't. You got other ideas, though?" DiNozzo asked.

"Maybe Abby does," McGee said.

DiNozzo nodded. "Maybe she does. I'm driving."

"We could ride instead of taking the cart," McGee suggested.

"Nah, I said I'd take her those bushels of apples next time I went to visit, so I better do that," DiNozzo said.

::

"Tony! McGee!" Abby said, hurrying down the steps, holding her skirts up so she wouldn't trip on them.

"We brought you the apples," DiNozzo said, gesturing at the back of the cart.

"And a case," McGee added.

"Your timing is fantastic, we're just about running out of cider but I can start up a new batch now," she said. "Why don't you just drive the cart around to my workroom and I'll get that started, and we can chat about the case there?"

Abby was humming to her vats when they pulled up and unloaded the bushels on the workroom table.

"So, what's this case, then?" she asked.

"Cattle rustling," DiNozzo said. "Everyone's been hit."

"Guy left an empty fancy bottle of whiskey on Jenny's property, but Kate says no one strange has been in to buy anything recently," McGee explained.

"Hmmm," Abby said, sorting through apples. "Maybe they brought the whiskey with them."

"Nobody has the money to do that," DiNozzo said. "Ship something in specially? With the drought, people are barely making a living."

"Ari went out East recently," McGee said.

"He had some cattle rustled, too," DiNozzo said.

"Maybe he rustled his own cattle to hide the trail," Abby suggested.

DiNozzo and McGee stared at her, then at each other.

"Maybe he rustled his own cattle," McGee said.

"We better tell Gibbs," DiNozzo said, and they ran out the door. "Thanks, Abby!" he called over his shoulder.

"Happy to help!" Abby said. "Thanks for the apples!"

::

DiNozzo cracked the whip over the horses a couple times, but there was no change in speed.

"They can't go any faster," McGee said. "We should have ridden."

"If we'd ridden, we wouldn't have had the apples, and Abby might not have had such a brilliant idea."

When they got back to the town, Gibbs was standing in the center of the street outside the saloon, feet planted squarely, hand on his gun holster.

"Gibbs!" DiNozzo said. "Ari went back east, he could have brought the whiskey bottle back with him, and he probably rustled his own cattle to cover it up."

"I know," Gibbs said.

"You know?" McGee asked. "But, how do you-"

Gibbs pointed down the street, where Ari was standing by the general store, his gun out and pointing straight at them.

"Sorry, boss," DiNozzo and McGee chorused.

"Maybe I'll just shoot one of your deputies, then," Ari said.

"What is all this commotion?" Kate asked, coming out the door of the saloon and drying her hands on a towel. "My patrons like it quiet, and it can't be quiet with you all out here shouting."

Ari swung his gun towards Kate and squeezed the trigger. As if in slow motion Kate fell against the wall, a bloodstain blooming on her shirt.

There was another gunshot, followed swiftly by two more. DiNozzo and McGee spun around and saw Ari lying on the ground. A woman with a gun was standing over him.

"Ms David, you're late," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo, what are you still doing here? Get Ducky. McGee, see if you can stop the bleeding."

"Sorry, boss," DiNozzo said.

**Author's Note:**

> For [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/cliche_bingo/profile)[**cliche_bingo**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/cliche_bingo/). This is a tiny snapshot in what could be a much larger 'verse some day. Thanks to S for thinking this was a good idea.


End file.
